5:30 p.m. Welcome and Introduction

Andrea Houchard, Director, Philosophy in the Public Interest

5:45 p.m. Dr. Jona Vance, NAU Department of Philosophy

What it means to be in a leadership crisis?

Given the constraints of our two-party political system, can politicians have

an independent voice?

How has party polarization impacted the possibility of political leadership?

What is the difference between a political representative and a leader?

6:50 p.m. Recap of discussion

Is There a Crisis in Political Leadership?

Date: Tuesday, February 4, 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Location: Osher Lifelong Learning Center, (OLLI) in Sedona

Facilitated by: Dr. Jona Vance, NAU Department of Philosophy

nau.ppi @nau_ppi

Additional support received from NAU’s Compassion Project and the McKenzie Endowment for Democracy.

Contact us:

928-523-8339

nau.ppi@nau.edu

nau.edu/ppi

Hot Topics Café, February 4, 2014

We would like to thank Kelly Slutz, Graduate Assistant for the Action Research Teams (ARTs), for her assistance in preparing this handout.

During the partial government shutdown in October 2013, the number of people who felt government itself was the main problem with government doubled. Sixteen percent of Americans held this view in September, and it climbed to 33 percent during the shutdown.2

Congress and Washington are often the focus of political leadership crises. However, political leadership crises are in no way limited to them. In state and municipal government there are too many examples to name, but some recent examples include:

In 2012 Arizona State Senator Richard Miranda (D) pled guilty to wire fraud and attempted tax evasion.

In 2013 former Arizona Representative Rick Renzi (R) was convicted of extortion, racketeering and other charges.

In 2013 San Diego Mayor Bob Filner (D) pled guilty to charges involving sexual harassment.

As recently as January 31, new allegations have sprung up that, despite his earlier denials, Chris Christie (R), Governor of New Jersey may have known about lane closings at the George Washington Bridge.

What it means to be in a leadership crisis.

1 Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, “Confidence in Leadership Survey, Sep, 2008.” Retrieved Feb-8-2012 from the iPOLL Databank, The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut. 2 Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Jan. 5-8, 2014, with a random sample of 1,018 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. http://www.gallup.com/poll/166844/government-itself-cited-top-problem.aspx

The focus of this Hot Topics Café is political leadership. However, there are worries about the quality of

leadership in sectors other than politics. Just before the financial crisis of 2009, the public’s confidence in

leadership in five significant sectors suffered a noticeable drop. In 2008, 80 percent of Americans thought

there was a leadership crisis in Congress, organized religion, education, the Supreme Court, and state

government. This was up from 65 percent in 2005, the first year the National Leadership Index was

published by the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School.1

The examples help illustrate that political crises are not limited to Congress or Washington. It is easy to find

examples of scandals in Arizona and in other states from coast to coast. The problem with corruption in

politics is widespread and affects every level of government.

Many of the most

important issues

facing the U.S. are

connected to

leadership.

OLLI at Yavapai College, Sedona

People may be dissatisfied with politicians as leaders, as representatives, or both.

There are many types of elected officials; each type has various duties. For the most part, these duties can be straightforwardly determined and are delineated in documents that are readily available to the public. For example, members of the United States Congress have responsibilities to:

Draft and introduce legislation

Help constituents solve their problems

Articulate and take positions on issues

Educate and inform constituents about legislation

Represent and advocate the district’s and constituents’ interests

Campaigning, party leadership, and reelection

Ensure that laws are administered as Congress intended

Interact with the executive branch, interest groups and other levels of government

Oversight of personal office 3

A representative’s duties are more clear-cut than those of a leader. There are many definitions and theories of leadership, but many people agree that leaders get people to do things that they would not do otherwise. By virtue of leading they chart a course and set a direction. Leaders inspire others to embrace their vision and take steps to enact it. They are known for their judgment, skill, and in the most positive frameworks, having goodwill toward those they are leading.

Political leadership has been called into question largely on the basis of moral failures of leadership. The moral failings can be identified on at least two levels. First, ordinary citizens wonder whether their elected officials are acting in the best interest of their constituents or making decisions that result in personal gain or foster party allegiance. Second, the personal conduct of our political leaders is very often considered morally reprehensible.

How has party polarization impacted the

possibility of political leadership?

What is the difference between a political representative and a leader?

Given the constraints of our two-party

political system, can politicians have an

independent voice?

Certain factors seem to weigh against elected

officials acting as independent leaders. Elected

officials are often constrained by the party to which

they belong.

A critical concern for most political candidates is

securing support from their party in primary

elections. This can constrain the degree to which

they are willing to work across party boundaries and

lead independently. However, many people vote

based on party allegiances, so we must ask ourselves

whether we want independent leaders or party

leaders. If it is the latter, then it may be unfair to

criticize elected officials for towing the party line.

Party polarization has been blamed for the recent

government shutdown and general government

dysfunction.

In his recent State of the Union address President

Obama pledged to use his executive powers to act

alone to move his priorities forward. In each case,

whether it was the minimum wage, health care, or

clean energy, he invited Congress to take

legislative action on these issues, however he did

not seem optimistic about cooperation in

Washington. Some may see this as a bold act of

leadership, while others may see it as further

dysfunction and polarization in Washington.

3 For more information see R. Eric Peterson, Roles and Duties of a Member of Congress: Brief Overview. Congressional Research Service, 2012. https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33686.pdf

The “hot topics” in the Hot Topics Cafés are selected by community members represent

diverse constituencies and viewpoints. We thank our committee for their participation.

Hot Topics Café Community Committee

Flagstaff & Winslow Sedona & the Verde Valley

Ex officio

Allan Affeldt

Owner, La Posada; Founder, Winslow Arts Trust; Former

Mayor, City of Winslow; Board Member for: Arizona Town Hall,

Arizona Citizens for the Arts

Joe Boles

Professor Emeritus, Northern Arizona University

Scott Deasy

Deacon of Epiphany Episcopal Church, semi-retired OB/GYN

Coral Evans

Flagstaff City Council

Jean Friedland

Compassion Project

Patty Garcia

Coconino Community College District Governming Baord,

Nuestras Raices, Raymond Educational Foundation Board, US

Geological Survey

Jacque Gencarelle

Prevention Program Manager, Northern Arizona Regional

Behavioral Health Authority

Wayne Ranney

Geologist, Author, Grand Canyon river and trail guide, Board

Member for: Flagstaff Festival of Science, Grand Canyon

Historical Society (President), and Museum of Northern Arizona

(Emeritus)

Craig Van Slyke

Dean, NAU Franke College of Business

Michael Vincent

Dean, NAU College of Art and Letters

Randy Wilson

Editor, Arizona Daily Sun

Harriet Young

President, Flagstaff AAUW

Jennifer Epperson

Executive Director, Imagiventure Foundation

Angela LeFevre

Board and past president of the Democrats of the Red Rocks,

Board Member for: Arizona Planned Parenthood and Keep

Sedona Beautiful

Dan McIlroy

Sedona City Council

Elemer Magaziner

Sedona Citizens for Civil Dialogue

John Neville

Executive Director, Sustainable Arizona

Judy Reddington

NAU’s Arts and Letters Advisory Council, Board Member for:

Museum of Northern Arizona, Sedona International Film Festival

Doug Von Gausig

Mayor of Clarkdale, Executive Director of Verde River Institute

Del Weston

Marketing, Hypertherm, Inc., Board Member for: Sedona

Y.M.C.A.

Jessica Williamson

Sedona City Council

Robert Breunig Museum of Northern Arizona

Andrea Houchard NAU, Philosophy in the Public Interest

Ron Hubert Hozho International

Scott Sanicki Sedona Public Library

Robin Weeks Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Yavapai College, Sedona Center

NAU's Philosophy in the Public Interest is non partisan,

and does not endorse any position with respect to the

issues we discuss. Philosophy in the Public Interest is a

neutral convener for civil discourse.

Next Sedona Hot Topics Café:

What Happened to the American Dream?

Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Location: The Sedona Public Library

QUOTES

“Politicians are supposed to work together to hammer out solutions for the benefit of the American

people. Instead, they are too busy trying to win the argument of the day, to deliver the strongest sound

bite, and to show that they are right and the other side is not only wrong, it is either ignorant or evil.

How can trust possibly flourish in that environment? How can we possibly begin to have negotiations

that are a win-win for the American people when our supposed statesmen have devolved into this

win-lose view of politics?”1--Jim Amos

“Where are the leaders that are willing to make the tough calls in a time of disaster? And by that,

where are the leaders that are able to see the disaster of their own actions and will seek to put an

immediate end to their abuse of the power of the purse? The issues the nation faces of unfettered

government spending are real. It is not unheard of for a government to ruin a country through its

spending habits.

So while Americans watch the events of a possible government shutdown unfold, people need to keep

in mind that this problem was fixable countless times in the past. The only reason that it was not

remedied earlier was that there is a severe political leadership crisis that is ongoing at the highest

levels of government.” 2--Adam Bitely

“I don’t think there’s much debate the world is ensnarled in a crisis of leadership. The question

becomes what do we do about it? We are still in need of hope and change – we are still in a crisis of

leadership. Some of the actors may have changed seats, but the cast remains the same. This is not a

democrat versus republican issue or a liberal versus conservative issue. The issue is one that extends

beyond parties, philosophies and geographic boarders. The issue is simply this: we have forgotten

what leadership looks like. . .Why does all this matter? Because leadership matters… Whether

through malice or naïveté, those who abuse or tolerate the abuse of leadership place us all at risk.

Poor leadership cripples businesses, ruins economies, destroys families, loses wars, and can bring the

demise of nations. The demand for true leaders has never been greater—when society misunderstands

the importance of leadership, and when the world inappropriately labels non-leaders as leaders we

are all worse for the wear.”3 --Mike Myatt

1 Amos, Jim. 2014. “Government Shutdown Reveals a Complete Lack of Leadership.” Jim Amos Blog. http://jimamosblog.com/

leadership-2/government-shutdown-reveals-a-complete-lack-of-leadership/.

2 Bitely, Adam. “The Political Leadership Crisis.” 2014. NetRight Daily. http://netrightdaily.com/2011/03/the-political-leadership-

crisis/.

3 Myatt, Mike. 2014. “A Crisis Of Leadership - What’s Next?” Forbes. Accessed February 1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/

mikemyatt/2013/10/10/a-crisis-of-leadership-whats-next/.